Last Men Standing
by A-chana
Summary: The team of five who were left unscathed failed to find anyone else in Subspace. As the bonds keeping them together begin to crumble, they must grasp and search in the dark for the right choice. SSE semi-AU, oneshot.


I don't see much love for the three heroes of Subspace (four if you count Kirby), and Bowser seems to be forgotten a lot. Did you know Sakurai completely forgot him when, in his trivia update, he listed the minimum amount of characters needed to beat SSE? I decided to make a story about the five (Sonic is not included because of when this takes place), and ended up with this.

As the summary states, this is technically an AU story. Although you're able to ignore everyone in the game, in terms of canon, you're more or less supposed to assume everyone is found. In addition, I changed one established scene to explain why they couldn't revive Ganondorf.

Once more, many, many thanks to Exilo for helping me make this flow better.

(1-4-12: Minor edits done to fix awkward phrases and formatting.)

* * *

Five individuals sat on the bottom steps of the staircase that spiraled up to the Great Maze, trying to ignore how cold it was in the world of Subspace. Fiery courage and righteous anger had kept their heads up high for the past few hours, but all that bravado had suddenly crashed, sapping their motivation to keep pushing forward.

"I can't find him," a distressed Luigi muttered, pointing out what was obvious to them all. "He's… Mario's missing."

"Not just him," Bowser added bitterly. "Everyone's gone."

Dedede snorted. "We would have one more here, if you hadn't chucked Ganondorf down the abyss." Although they had heard a faint, faraway clang of the trophy hitting the ground, he was too far down to recover, and it sounded like some stray Towtows had found him. Likely, he had been taken to another area, just like the others.

Bowser looked over. "What? Are you blaming me for this?"

"Well, you _did_ kidnap a bunch of people."

"They all escaped, though!"

"But if Zelda had still been with me, we'd have her with us now." Granted, they wouldn't have Kirby, but Dedede wouldn't have minded the trade-off.

"Guys, guys!" Ness interrupted. "Don't fight, okay? It won't help…"

Kirby sighed, as silence hung over them once more. He had met up with these four some time ago, but their searching for others had been in vain. After Tabuu created the Great Maze, his army had separated as many of the fallen heroes as they could to prevent such a rescue from happening. In the end, only these five remained.

"What do we do?" Kirby asked, voice as childish as ever.

"We gotta keep going," Dedede said, getting up. He didn't want to have to work together with Kirby and Bowser, but it had to be done.

"What about Princess Peach? What about Mario?" Luigi stood up quickly, gripped by emotions.

"We can't wait any longer." Dedede sighed, gesturing to the ball of stolen worlds above them. Just as he did, another orb flew by, with jungle scenery inside. It settled on the edge, joining with the others to make another part of the maze. "He's going to take everything left at this rate. There've already been too many deaths."

Indeed, a whole stadium of spectators and a race of robots had been wiped out. The possibility that others had died when their homes became a part of Subspace was almost too much to comprehend.

"What, so we leave everyone behind?" Luigi couldn't comprehend the possibility that they had to end their search now.

"Kind of heartless for such a noble hero, eh?" Bowser chuckled. He couldn't pass up a chance to take a jab at Dedede. Under different circumstances, the two could have been friends. Instead, they had found themselves on opposite sides of this conflict and thus became enemies, as if they had hated each other from the start.

"He's got a point, though…" Ness admitted, grabbing their attention. "We're only letting the world be torn apart even more by just sitting around. But, I–"

"But we need the others!" Luigi interrupted. Were these guys seriously considering giving up on saving the others who were lost in Subspace?

Dedede shook his head. "We have no choice!"

The tension in the air hung heavy on them all. Even after Dedede explained why he did what he did, he had been met with distrust, most notably by Luigi. Ness seemed more willing to accept him, but was still on edge, mostly because everyone else was.

Bowser knew he had played a role in this whole mess, and only now knew the extent of the damage done. Had he known it was going to go this far, he'd have refused. He redirected his anger at being played like a fiddle, though, instead lashing out at the others.

And poor Kirby was just lost. He hated it when people argued. Even with his naivety, he knew it was only a matter of time before an all-out fight broke out.

That thought became a reality with no warning. Luigi lunged at Dedede, a lifetime of frustration exploding out in his blind rage. Kirby squealed in surprise, and Bowser merely snorted, amused that he was getting a chance to see the green guy finally snap. It was Ness who stepped in, taking out his baseball bat.

He got close, wedging it between the two to gain some leverage as he tried to pry Luigi away. By then, he had gotten a few good punches in, but he was easily pulled away.

"This isn't how you get a point across!" Ness looked from Dedede, who spat a bit of blood onto the ground, to Luigi, who was panting heavily. His mind cleared, and now he realized what he was doing.

"I'm…I'm sorry!" Luigi back away, out of Ness's grip. This wasn't what he meant to do at all, and yet he still felt betrayed that he seemed to be the only one who still cared about the missing heroes. "I just… I gotta find him! I'm sorry!" And then, he turned and ran.

"Luigi!" Dedede called out, but Luigi did not look back.

Ness sighed. "I'll get him. Guys, _stay here_!" He chased after Luigi, feeling as though he, despite being the second-youngest, was the only adult in this group.

"Of course we're staying here," Bowser grumbled. "Where could we go?"

-0-

Desperation was setting in. If no one else was going to help, he'd do it alone.

Luigi jumped onto a ledge, searching the area. It all looked the same, however. The ground was a purple-pink, with an unnatural glow, and the 'sky' was a dark, near-black purple with the occasional swirl of colors floating around.

To be lost in the vast world of Subspace could mean being lost forever. Luigi didn't want to think of such a horrible possibility.

"Luigi."

The plumber looked down, seeing Ness standing on a lower ledge. "Oh, hey there."

"Do you mind if I join you?"

Luigi shrugged. Having Ness's company would actually be a blessing, as the boy was always kind to him. They were both there at the beginning of the Smash Tournaments as latecomers, and he had watched the boy slowly mature. That was saying a lot, given what Ness had gone through before on his own adventures, encountering enemies beyond description. Ness was not a man yet, but he wasn't just a kid, either.

Ness climbed up, sitting next to Luigi. After a few moments of silence, he spoke. "There's a boy out there, too, almost my age. He can use PSI powers just like me. I…I never caught his name, though… I was captured trying to save him, and that's the last I saw of him."

"Don't you want to see him again?"

"Of course I do!" Ness stared out into Subspace. He could never leave anyone behind. Not forever. "I still think that maybe we… Dedede's right, you know. We gotta make a choice."

"Then you should know why I made _this_ choice." Luigi groaned, slumping to the ground next to Ness. "If I lost Mario or Peach, I'd… I don't know what I would do…"

Ness winced. "I don't want to lose them, either. I don't want to lose any of them. And we won't. We just have to move on for now. When we defeat Tabuu…we'll come back the way we came and continue the search. I promise."

Luigi considered this, closing his eyes for a moment. Even with Ness's reassurance, it would still hurt to have to call off the search. "…Do you promise we'll never give up?"

"I promise. We'll find them."

Luigi looked over at Ness, who was smiling warmly. Although he still had doubts about this whole thing, he decided that maybe blindly running around in the hopes of finding someone wouldn't work out… "I'll think it over. It's just that… I had to come and find Mario once, you know? It was weird, having to be the hero's hero."

"And I've had to rescue friends a few times, too… I've even _been_ rescued." Ness mused out loud, thinking back on his own experiences. "I know why you don't want to give up. I wouldn't want to just give up on my friends. But, sometimes, I think…" He found the next words hard. "Sometimes, you need to choose, when you don't have time to save everyone. Let the world suffer longer just so you can be with someone, or give up your happiness, if just for a while, to protect countless others?"

It was a terrible choice, and even Ness wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing now. If he spent too much time pondering over it, though, he'd lose it all. He watched Luigi's expression carefully, and could tell he would likely come around.

Intending to keep that promise to Luigi after all this was done, Ness slowly stood up. "We should probably get back soon before things get out of hand back there."

Luigi chuckled. "What's the worst that can happen?"

-0-

Luigi would soon regret those words.

After Ness left, there had been silence between those who stayed behind. Finally, Bowser spoke. "We should get going."

"But Ness is still out there!" Kirby exclaimed. "Weegie, too!"

"Luigi's not coming back," Bowser scoffed. "He's too much of a coward, and needs his crutch of a brother."

"Even so," Dedede stated, as calmly as he could, "we still have to wait for Ness."

"What, you're playing favorites now?" Bowser sneered. "And to think I was starting to think better of you… Ha!"

"I'm _not_ playing favorites!" Dedede replied, even though he knew this was half a lie. He truly appreciated Ness and Luigi for reviving him. "We know him and Luigi are still up and running around, and they'll be back! Just you wait!"

"Why would they return? Did you already forget how Luigi jumped you? And who is Ness more likely to be with: him, the goody two-shoes he's known for years, or you, a complete stranger with a record for antagonizing whole kingdoms?"

"I… Shut up!" Trust, or the lack of it, was a sore point for Dedede.

"Even Kirby, the little puffball, would hate to be in the same place as you, wouldn't he?" Bowser looked to Kirby for his support.

"I, uh… P-poyo!" Kirby didn't want to be dragged into this. This argument was getting out of control fast.

"Don't get others to fight your battles for you!" Dedede snapped, his anger mounting. "Focus on _me_! At least I've been able to clean up my act and stick with it!"

"Yes, because you've been the perfect angel these past few years– _Oh, wait_!" Bowser laughed. "Practice what you preach."

"You first. Don't think I haven't heard of your motives for kidnapping Peach." By now, the two were standing, facing each other, as if they were getting ready to leap at the other. Kirby stood near the stairs, hands over his mouth.

"That's personal!" Bowser hissed.

"Not when you make it so obvious! Face it, Bowser. No one will ever love you if you keep up your behavior! Maybe _that's_ why you have to lie to your kids about who their mama is–"

That did it. Dedede had just crossed a sensitive line, and Bowser leaped at him, roaring in fury. He was seeing red at this point, and judging from his ferocity, it would end badly.

Luigi and Ness returned to this scene of chaos, and the former gasped. "What happened?"

"They… Fighting! Got really mad!" In his panic, Kirby had trouble stringing together a full sentence. It was enough to get the idea across, at least.

Ness tried to break them up, and with a shout of "PK Thunder," a ball of lightning headed for the brawling duo. Bowser shoved Dedede down, though, sending them both tumbling as the ball sailed over them. Ness shook his head as his concentration broke, and realized what was about to happen. Dedede was hanging off the edge of the abyss, headfirst. The only thing keeping him from joining Ganondorf in wherever he had landed was the fact that Bowser was clinging to his robe. Even then, his claws were starting to rip through it.

"You wouldn't dare," Dedede panted. He tried to reach up in an attempt to grab _anything_ to pull himself up with, but he just couldn't grasp anything.

"I would," Bowser snarled, giving him a hard jerk to make recovery that much more difficult.

"Then, do it! Get it over with!"

"No, don't!" Ness yelled as he started to run over, getting ready to act. If he used PK Thunder now, Bowser would likely let go of Dedede in order to defend himself. If that happened, Ness needed to be there to grab his companion.

"It'll be easy!" Bowser chuckled, although he seemed to grip the clothing tighter instead. "Scared now, Bird Boy? Scared to fall, to become a trophy, to die?"

"No. I'm not scared." Even though Dedede was trembling, his voice was hard. "I've never been scared during any of this. At all."

Which was a big fat lie, and he knew it. Seeing what Tabuu was capable of scared him senseless. But, hey, even in a situation like this, he needed to cover his pride.

"So, are you going to drop me, or not? If you're too chicken to do it, I'll shrug out of this myself and save you the trouble."

"Dedede!" Kirby squeaked.

Luigi stayed where he was, even as his fists clenched. "Bowser, this isn't you, and you know it! It's not like you to be so vile!"

This was yet another lie, as Bowser had made all sorts of traps in his lifetime that could have killed the brothers. And yet, the underlying message was true. Bowser wasn't _all_ bad, so he couldn't just let Dedede fall just to win an argument…right?

Finally, Bowser relented, yanking Dedede back up and throwing him onto the floor nearby, just as Ness reached them. "Happy now?"

Dedede sighed as Ness helped him up. "Yeah, I am."

"Why would you do that?" Ness asked, realizing Dedede had a shallow slash on his face and part of his neck. "We're a team, you know!"

Bowser scoffed. "Can we even be a team if we can't even trust each other?"

Ness was taken aback by such a statement, and opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted.

"I trust him!"

Everyone turned around, looking at Kirby. Dedede was the one who responded. "Huh…?"

Kirby looked over everyone with an unwavering gaze. He didn't look like this was a forced confession at all. "Dedede. I trust you."

Dedede swallowed hard. He always did have a feeling that Kirby didn't think too badly of him, even if he _was_ quick to accuse him of wrong-doing. But hearing him say it out loud, especially in a time where he needed trust the most…

"…Thank you, Kirby," he replied, turning away. He was going to leave it at that. No need to get all mushy just because he had at least one person on his side.

"I do, too," Ness nodded, staying by Dedede. "The same goes for Luigi… Right?"

Luigi kicked some non-existent dirt. If Kirby, who had every reason to hate Dedede, could forgive him, then perhaps it wouldn't hurt for Luigi to be a bit more willing to follow him. "Yes. Yes, I do." Maybe he could learn some assertiveness from the false king. Maybe.

Dedede smiled, ignoring how Bowser wasn't even looking at any of them anymore. "And this is all I need. We'll beat Tabuu, all ourselves!" A pause. "…If you want to go ahead right now, I mean…"

Luigi sighed, knowing that was a reference to him. "We'll go. If things get really bad, though, we're pulling out and looking for back-up."

"Really? I'm surprised you agreed…" Dedede began to head over to Luigi and Kirby, with Ness following behind.

"Well…y'know." Luigi kicked at the ground once more, smiling nervously. "Maybe the quicker we beat Tabuu, the quicker we can go back to finding Mario."

"You really care for him, don't you?"

"He's my brother. There's really nothing like that kind of bond. He's always been there for me, s-so I guess I just…" Luigi gulped. "I guess I want to be there for _him_, this time…"

"I understand." Dedede began to lead the three to the steps. "My, um… My apologies if I've been rude to you." He extended a hand.

Luigi grinned, shaking it. "I'm used to it."

"Alright, that's it." Bowser started after them. "Hey, enough with the sappy emotional bonding over there! If you're going to do this, you need some _real_ firepower on your side!"

"Glad to have you with us, Bowser," Ness smirked.

"Yay!" Kirby jumped up in happiness. "No more arguing, no more tension!"

Bowser rolled his eyes. "Don't get your hopes up, kid."

Dedede looked over his group. They would have to put aside their past differences to have any hope of saving the world. And, once they did that, then they could go back to saving their loved ones.

Step by step, the hero-hopefuls began to make their way up to the Great Maze.

* * *

I intend to keep it open-ended on whether they ever do actually find the others or not, or if they'd still be able to continue the search once they beat Tabuu.


End file.
